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Final Meeting
Thursday, March 12, 1998

Agenda
Report from the Executive Director

I'd like to just take one minute to acknowledge my staff and the contributions that they've made. Richard Sorian, Ann Page, Beth Docteur, John Dicken, Peter Nixon, Marilyn Park, Karen Titlow, Chip Malin, and Mary Gerald, if you'd all please stand up.

There's always a sense at the end of this process and a bit of regret that you couldn't do more, but when you take a look at the report I really think, I'm just real pleased that the staff has done so much, and I can't tell you how hard they've worked, they really have.

A little bit of housekeeping. There will be an event at the White House tomorrow to present the final report to the President and the Vice President, and that scheduled for 2:40. And I know that's a little bit difficult for some of you, but that is the plan at this time to have that at 2:40. We'll give you more details about that a little bit later.

Today we have just two items, just two items, on the agenda, and the first is to move through chapter ten which has been revised a couple of times since the last time you saw it, and it's back again before you. And then we want any last minute comments that you might have on all of the other chapters of the report which were forwarded to you both redlined version as well as clean copies. And for all of the other chapters, as you know, all of the substantive issues on those chapters were raised prior to this and we pretty much brought them to a close at the last meeting, so we're really asking you to do a quick check and make sure that we've made all the changes that you asked us to make at the last meeting. Thank you.

Secretary Shalala: Thank you.

Mr. Pollack?

Commissioner Pollack: Yes. I just wanted to ask a question of staff or the secretaries. I heard last night from a normally reliable person in the media that the CBO actually had scored our proposed bill of rights, and what I was told, and I don't know if this is accurate and that's why I'm making this inquiry, that CBO scored this as adding 0.3 percent on to premiums, which would be an extraordinary statement if true. Does anybody know whether this in fact is true?

Secretary Shalala: The answer is that CBO has made no announcement and therefore we can't comment on that. Can't ask a government official that question. I'm not allowed to comment on CBO's.

Secretary Herman: I think it's fair to say that CBO is working on the issue, but we don't have an official report from the Congressional Budget Office.

Secretary Shalala: Does this suggest that you might want to add some, if it's actually that low?

Commissioner Pollack: No, I thought that Secretary Herman when she talked about this being what's a growing hallelujah day --

Secretary Herman: A glory hallelujah.

Commissioner Pollack: -- a glory hallelujah day, even better, that we were going to add to that.